In the hopes of becoming the first Emirati athlete to represent the UAE at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, Zahra Lari will be competing at Winter Universiade in Russia this month. Not only is she the UAE’s first ever-female figure skater, but is also the first to perform in a hijab.
Lari recently took 8th place at the EduSport Trophy event in Romania, which marked a new milestone for the athlete as she is now focused on training to qualify for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
Taking to Instagram to share news of her participation at Russia’s Winter Universiade, she said, “I’m always honoured to represent my country on the international stage, but the Winter Universiade holds a special place in my heart. It’s one of the biggest competitions that I’ve ever gotten the chance to skate in. As always, I’d like to thank the UAE’s leadership for their support and putting their faith in me, and I’ll work my hardest to make the UAE proud in this competition.”
Also adding, “I have been training really hard this past year, and I was able to significantly improve in many aspects of the sport. There’s always more to work on, but I arrive here with confidence and hope to achieve something great. Whatever happens, to me, it’s always great to compete on the global stage and the experience you gain from it is extremely valuable. So, in a way, I know that whatever happens, I’m going back having learned a lot and with greater readiness for the next challenge.”
Wishing her all the luck in the world, Zahra will be competing at the event in Russia on International Women’s Day, 8th March 2019.
